AN: Identity Crisis is the name of this chapter…along with the name of a comic issue from DC, which revealed one of the Justice League's darkest secrets. A comic that is connected to a bigger storyline. Now, that secret will be revealed…

Outta This World: The Call Beyond Edition

Arc Two: Deathstroke

Chapter Ten: Identity Crisis

Entry #46

Haven't written in here for a while. Was extremely busy. Fought a villain called 'Puppet King' who forced Raven, Starfire, and I to undergo a body switch. Also, I've finally got the full archive installed, so no more headaches for me! Slade's also been pulling off a number of crimes, most of them thefts. It's been driving Robin up the walls. Guy barely even sleeps anymore. In other news, Cyborg finally finished those gloves he was on about, along with a pair of boots that should allow me to use the flying disk better.

Anyway, as of the time of writing, I'm currently alone in the Tower. The rest are on an underwater mission to find some lost ships carrying deadly chemicals. I didn't go for obvious reasons, so Robin charged me with defending the city while the others are gone.

I looked up from my notebook as the doorbell for the Tower rang. Ignoring the irritating itch on my shoulder, I made my way down towards the front door, eager for a pizza that was mine and mine alone.

"Thank god I didn't have to argue with Cy or BB about toppings." I thought as I reached for the keypad that was used to open and close the door. I entered the correct codes…and found Shiga Raki on the other side, a smile plastered on his face.

I blinked. "I thought you were just a waiter." I commented, taking the box he handed to me.

The white-haired twenty-something adult shrugged. "You'd be surprised at the number of odd jobs I've had to pick up."

My brow creased as I handed him a twenty. "What do you mean by 'had to'?"

Shiga Raki's eyebrow twitched upwards, and then he laughed. "Oh right, I forgot that Raven didn't tell you." His expression turned serious. "Mikumo and I don't have parents to live with."

I reeled back a little. "I'm…sorry." It was difficult for me to imagine a world without mom, and I never knew my father.

Shiga shrugged. "Don't be. They died a long time ago, and Mikumo can't remember anyway." He informed me.

"Can't remember?" I inquired.

"Amnesia." He answered. "Got it during a metahuman fight we got caught up in." A smile played up on his face. "But it doesn't seem to have erased his love for superheroes."

"Really?" I asked, placing my pizza box on a nearby counter. I could always reheat it later. "Between you and me, who's his favorite Titan?"

He smirked. "Robin, I'm afraid."

I huffed. "He gets all of the fans." I complained. I didn't actually mind but being around Shiga actually made me feel somewhat at ease. It was like hanging out with Eric again.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry so much." He said with a chuckle. "You and the other Titans got plenty. But I would be careful about looking up fan pages about yourself online. Some of the people there are…weird."

"…You mean like really shitty fanfics and lew—!"

He raised a hand to interrupt me. "You don't want to know." Shiga then looked back at the twenty in his hand, red eyes scanning the bill. "You sure you don't want the change?"

"Pretty sure. The others wanted Chinese today." Had to make sure that no one knew that they were gone.

Shiga hummed. "Interesting…well, thank you for the twenty. I'll be off now." Shiga left, and I went back to the common room. The pizza was still hot, after all.

"You know…" Light began as I chewed on the third slice of pepperoni pizza. "The more often we run into this Shiga guy, the more and more out of place he feels."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, finally addressing Light's unease about the man.

"I…don't know…" Light replied. "There's this sensation about him, but the more I try and grasp on to it, the farther it slips away. It's like…trying to hold water in my hands."

"I guess I understand." I told Light. "But he doesn't seem like any of the other villains we've fought. Hell, he's just an ordinary civilian trying to support his brother."

"Yeah, I see where you're coming from. Just be careful around him from now on."

I nodded as my hand brushed over…something. I took out the rest of the pizza slices and flipped the box over, finding a note. "How the hell did I miss this!?"

Sean, it's time that you learned the truth. Pier 41. Come alone.

Slade.

I arrived on the roof of the warehouse about thirty minutes later, having used the new boots to fly on the disk more precisely. I double checked all of my gear, keeping myself wary in the case that this was indeed a trap. I inspected the communicator for a moment and considered calling the Titans. Then I decided against it. Whatever they were doing in the bay was more important, as the amount of toxic waste lost could pollute the waters. I put the communicator back in one of my pockets and dropped down from the roof.

The door inside was already opened, and I walked inside, lured in by the promise of forbidden secrets like a moth to a flame. The warehouse was completely devoid of life, with only several scattered crates to fill the void. Then, the doors closed, and a wall of blue flames obscured the way out.

I turned to my left, finding Zero standing about a yard away from me, blue flames in her open palm. "Hello, brother dear."

"Zero." I hissed. "So this is a trap."

"Not quite, dear boy." Slade's voice echoed throughout the warehouse, even over the crackling of the flames. "I did promise that we would talk. Zero is just here to ensure that you stay long enough to hear what I'm going to tell you."

"Cut to the chase, old man." I growled. "My friends will be on their way soon enough."

Slade chuckled. "We both know that that's a lie, dear boy. They've left to deal with a problem spawned from Atlantis." Slade looked upwards at the ceiling and let out a hum. "But you are correct. Time is precious."

Then, he began to pace around me. "But in spite of this lesson, allow me to tell you a story. Once, a mercenary was sent into enemy territory by his employer—a man by the name of Alex L. Junior—to disrupt some other madman's experiment. This experiment turned out to be a gateway between worlds, and through his own foolishness, the man fell through this gateway."

Slade paused for a moment, and then spoke again. "For eleven long months, the soldier toiled to return home, and eventually he did. But…he did not return alone. He had two children, a boy and a girl, but he only took the girl with him."

Zero began to preen. I didn't doubt for a second that she was the girl.

"The girl would become one of his apprentices, a path to an old man's desire for immortality, while the boy would be left behind to live a normal life, forever searching for a father he never knew…" He turned to look at me with his one good eye. "You were that boy, Sean. And the Mercenary was me."

I felt my knees quake. "…Why…?"

"Why her and not you?" He asked, turning away from me. "It wasn't for any real reason. Just a whim. Just a flip of the coin."

I whipped out my quarterstaff. "NO, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" I screamed, rage coloring my voice. "Why come back now?! Just to use me as some pawn in your game?!"

Slade sighed. "Come now, my son. We both know that the world isn't that black and white, as the superheroes see it. Merely…differing shades of grey. I do not seek to use you. I want to recruit you to my cause."

"And what cause would that be?" I snarled, a burning desire to simply attack the man building within me as my right shoulder began to itch again.

"The recreation of the world in the image of this organization." The madman proclaimed. "For too long have those with superhuman gifts proved to be irresponsible. For too long have their battles with each other destroyed homes, cities, and nations…" Slade pressed a button on his gauntlet, and a holographic screen popped out of the man's wrist.

The screen displayed the inside of what I guessed was the Justice League's own Watchtower, inside what appeared to be a conference room. Inside were eight members of the Justice League: The Flash, Hawkman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Batman, and The Elongated Man and Zatanna. They were circled around a man strapped to a table by several restraints. A man who wore a suit similar to Luminous.

The Green Arrow spoke first. "We're not just gonna let him get away with this, are we?!"

The Flash spoke next. "Ollie—!"

"NO!" Green Arrow slammed his fist on the table, the knuckles inches from the man's side. "He tried too…Light hurt Sue! How the fuck are we supposed to stand for this! He was just some punk before, but now…" He trailed off.

Batman stepped forward. "He's not going to, Oliver. He's going to pay for his crimes like the rest—!"

"And break out again!?" The Elongated Man interrupted him, his voice a mixture of despair and rage. "He'll just go back to doing what he does best. What all of them do best!" The Elongated slumped over. "Hurt others. Kill others…"

"So why don't we stop it?" Zatanna stepped forward, glaring at the man's face. "We start with Doctor Light. Then, any other criminal that came after our family members, our loved ones, and our secret identities."

Batman's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Hawkman seemed to catch on. "You can't mean…"

"I do." Zatanna said. "We alter their minds, make them less hostile. Less…competent. Less of a danger to the ones we love."

"You mean lobotomizing them." Green Lantern intones, voice grim and face set in a stern frown. The room goes silent. Then Batman speaks again.

"No. We are not doing this. There are things that we've done that I've abided by…until now." He turned to the other members of the League. "If you all support this…I will stop you."

"It's Sue, Bruce!" Green Arrow cried. "Wouldn't you do the same if it was Batgirl!?"

"…There are many things I would do to Doctor Light if he attempted to rape Barbra." He replied, voice devoid of any emotion. "But not this. Never this."

The other members of the League began to give each other glances, as if in silent conversation. Then, they came to some sort of unanimous decision, and formed up behind Zatanna. All save for The Flash.

Batman grit his teeth, a visible snarl on his face. "Barry. Don't."

The Flash only gave Batman a sorrowful look. "I'm sorry. But I have a wife that I need to protect." He walked over to Zatanna's side.

The Dark Knight retrieved a few batarangs from his belt, but he was only human. No match for those who were…more. The fight was over once Zatanna spoke an incantation, freezing the man in place. Then she spoke again, and Batman fell to the ground, unconscious. The magician looked back at her comrades, then the man strapped to the table. The video ended, and the screen closed. Slade took something out of his gauntlet as I fell to my knees and tossed it to me. It was a small thumb drive, no bigger than a fingernail.

"Do you see now, my son?" Slade—my father—spoke with an unfettered rage. "The superhumans—the people like the members of the Justice League that supported this action—are the ultimate hypocrites. They place us in their prisons for crimes that they themselves had committed. All but a few have become no better than the villains they fight. But…" Slade trailed off, and I could feel his calculative gaze on me. "This can be changed. Together, we can stop the spread of the arrogance created by the power that the League holds over humanity." I heard footsteps, and I looked up to see him standing over me, a hand extended towards me. "Together, Sean, we can defeat what the League has seen fit to become…as father and son."

There was silence as I stared at my father's gloved hand. I had searched for the man who had given birth to me for so long…and here he was, asking me to fight alongside him. But he was a criminal. An assassin. A villain…amongst a world that I found hid more villains than I could possibly imagine…or hope to defeat. I found myself wishing for simpler times. For a world that could still be divided into black and white. Good and evil. Hero and Villain.

"Sean…" Light spoke. His voice held no reassurance. No advice. Nothing I could use. Then I knew that this choice was mine, and mine alone. No one else could make it for me. No one else could advise me on what to do. Good or Evil. Hero or Villain. Titan or Successor.

"I know…"

I looked back at the thumb drive, picked it up off of the ground, slid it up my sleeve, and then looked back at Slade. His gaze was still cold and calculative. No love. No desire to reconnect with a lost son. I was just another soldier in his war. Another pawn to be put to use. Just like Zero and the hand-wearing man, whoever he was. I found my answer.

"No. Never."

Slade glared. "No? Never?"

I stood, and then swung my quarterstaff, forcing the mercenary to leap back. Zero surged forward a little but stopped when Slade extended an arm towards her. "Never. You say that you are in the right and justify your actions…but you are no different than the League members that took that man's mind. You would use me as you currently use my own sister. I will never join someone like that!"

There was silence for a moment, save for the crackling flames. Then, Zero stepped forward. "Father—!"

Slade raised a hand, silencing the armored teen. "No, Zero." He turned his gaze back to me. "So you chose your friends and 'heroes' over your own flesh and blood. Very well."

I fully extended the staff, sparks of lighting dancing along the tips thanks to my own powers. "Believe me old man, you may share DNA with me, but you are not my father."

Slade drew a sword from somewhere off of his back. It was as long as a man's forearm and gleamed a brilliant silver. There was no curve, only a straight, cold edge.

I charged at him, and we fought.

Pier 41. From the perspective of no one.

Over the years, many assassins claimed to be the best. The greatest. The strongest, the fastest, the straightest shot. There were very few men and women who could live up to that hype. In that moment, in all of his rage, doubt, and sorrow, Blitzkrieg had forgotten that Slade was one of those few individuals.

Slade reminded him when he parried the teen's wild quarterstaff swing and cut him across his right shoulder. It wasn't a deep cut, but it bled and with pain came a sudden perspective. He was not ready for this fight. Even if he used his trump card, Blitz doubted that he would be able to stand against the world's greatest assassin for long.

With this newly realized knowledge, the electro-kinetic fired a blast of lightning at the former mercenary, hoping to stun him and escape his current situation. To his horror, the man known as Deathstroke dodged to the left, and then charged again, blade poised in a diagonal swipe. The teen barely managed to block the death-dealing blow by angling his staff to be vertical of the assassin's sword. Slade began to push against the staff, edging closer and closer to Blitz's left side. "You should have joined me, Sean. Now you will suffer the consequences of your choices!"

The boy tried to push back…but Slade was older. Stronger. And he had Chemical-X flowing through his veins. As far as he knew, Sean didn't. Sure, he had the archive and his own powers, but even with those, it was a fight that he was losing. He was fighting an unwinnable battle against a man fully willing to kill his own son. It was a fight that Slade won as he pushed Blitzkrieg with a sudden burst of strength and cut open Blitzkrieg's right leg.

Sean went down with a pained cry, grasping the wounded leg as Slade walked towards him. "This fight is over, son." The assassin said, standing over the boy. "Now I will take the choice I gave you from you—!"

The covered windows of the warehouse broke open, and a swarm of bugs began pouring in, surrounding the only three people in the building.

"What the hell?!" Zero screamed, letting loose a stream of flames on the insects. Her flames were stopped when a figure clothed in a black bodysuit leapt down from the rafters and caught her in a deadly embrace and began to put her in an arm-bar hold.

Slade attempted to attack the new combatant but was suddenly sent crashing into a stack of crates by a green blur that emitted green lightning. The blur stopped for a moment, revealing a man who wore a similar costume as the Flash, but green and a bit more armored. The man looked at the shattered crates that might have contained Slade's body, and then turned his attention to the electro-kinetic.

Sean felt his consciousness slip as strong arms picked him up.

Titans Tower. With the Teen Titans.

Raven frowned as she and the rest of the Titans entered the Tower. They had tried to contact Blitzkrieg after they had defeated Trident…but there was no response. Cyborg confirmed that Blitz's tracking beacon stated that he was still in the Tower, but there was no sign of him. The group walked into the common room, looking for clues as to where their friend was.

"He left the TV on." Cyborg grumbled, looking at said screen which was playing reruns of Gurren Lagann.

"Does that not drain the power?" Starfire asked.

"It does." Raven replied.

Beast Boy dug around the kitchen, trying to find any signs of use from the tools and contraptions there. Then, he returned to the five with a note of paper in hand. "Dudes. Look." He said, voice high and nervous.

Robin took the note and read what was there.

"Sean, it's time that you learned the truth. Pier 41. Come alone. Slade." Robin growled the last word out with a hatred that would surprise even Lucifer. The leader of the Titans turned back to his comrades. "Beast Boy, Cyborg. Get to Pier 41. Now!"

The two teens rushed to fulfill their leader's order. The Boy Wonder turned to the remaining two Titans as they left. "Starfire, Raven, help me search the Tower. He might still be here—!"

"Unnecessary." Raven interrupted. "He's in the medical bay and—!" She let out a gasp. "He's hurt. Nothing fatal, but he's in a lot of pain."

Robin grimaced. "Change of plans. Starfire," He pointed at the red head. "Go to Pier 41 with Cyborg and Beast Boy. We need to know if Slade is still there and what he's planning. Raven and I will check up on Blitzkrieg."

The green-eyed Titan nodded, a cold fury in her eyes. She departed quickly, using her flight to catch up to the two Titans.

Later. The medical bay.

The two Titans burst into the room to find Blitzkrieg lying on one of the beds, his right leg covered in bandages. He still wore the hood, but his usual mask was gone, leaving the eyes exposed even as the mouth was covered. Raven's breath hitched as she saw the haunted look in his eye, and Robin's own eyes narrowed. "What happened?"

Blitz looked towards Robin as if he had just realized that the other two teens were there. Then, his eyes widened, and his breaths came out in labored gasps. The Boy Wonder's eyes went wide as the electro-kinetic began to hyperventilate. The teen quickly sat down at Blitz's bedside and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Shit. Okay, Blitz I'm going to need you to calm down. Follow my breath patterns and try to match me, okay? Here we go…"

Robin took one breath in, and then one breath out. He did this until Blitz was calm enough to talk. Then, he listened.

"Slade snuck a note into a pizza I ordered. Said to come to Pier 41." The electro-kinetic stammered out. "I went there. Thought it was a trap."

"Was it?" Robin asked, voice calm and collected. Raven could sense the storm within, and she knew that Robin was anything but calm right now.

"No…" Blitzkrieg said, his voice surprisingly small. "It was worse. Everything he said was the truth."

"…What are you talking about?" Robin inquired, a small hint of anger slipping into his tone as his eyes narrowed.

"I—please," Blitzkrieg began, slipping something out of his sleeve. "I can't explain right now—just take this!" He said, holding out a small thumb drive. Robin hesitated at first, then he reached out and took the drive. Suddenly, Blitz grasped Robin's hand with both of his in and ironclad hold.

"Take it!" Blitzkrieg's voice came out in a panicked tone that Raven had never heard in the young man. The fear and doubt that she sensed almost overwhelmed her and infected her. "Take it and watch it! You have to! Then you have to show it to Batman—or Superman—someone you know you can trust! Just don't let it be one of them!"

Blitzkrieg collapsed against the bed as he began to hyperventilate again.

"Shit!" Robin cried.

Raven put a hand on the other teen's shoulder, causing Robin to turn to her.

"Go." She commanded. "Whatever's in that drive scared him enough into this. We need to know what's in it."

"But what about—!"

"I'll handle it." Raven spoke, her tone leaving no room for argument. Robin looked back at the panicking electro-kinetic, and then left.

Later. With Sean and Raven.

The medical bay was silent after Raven had gotten Blitz to calm himself again. Said teen was currently drinking a cup of herbal tea, looking as calm as someone who looked and acted like he nearly died could.

Raven knew that this wasn't the case. Something else was disturbing him. Something that happened in the warehouse that only somewhat involved the injury and had nothing to do with whatever secrets were on the drive.

She cleared her throat. "Blitz," The empath began. "What else did Slade tell you?"

The teen's eyes widened in shock, then lowered, looking at the floor. "…Promise me something."

"What is it?" She asked.

"Promise me that when I tell you, you won't see me any differently." He said, looking directly into her eyes. There was a fear in them that Raven could scarcely comprehend…and yet did. It was the same fear that she felt when she first joined the team.

It was the fear of rejection.

"Of course." She answered him.

He let out a sigh. "Slade…Slade is my father."

Her eyes went wide. "That…is certainly a revelation."

"Yeah." He said, turning his head so that he could see out the window and look at the setting sun. "He asked me to join him after showing me what was on the drive. I…" His voice became colored with shame. "I almost did."

Raven blinked. "Why? What could possess you to think about that, Blitz? What was on that drive?"

"A video." He replied, turning back to Raven. "Of seven members of the League agreeing to magically lobotomize a man…and then mind wiping the eight."

There was silence as Raven processed this disturbing revelation. "Who were the members, and why did they decide this?" The empath asked, tone as cold as the arctic wastes.

"Off of the top of my head…" Blitzkrieg began. "Green Arrow, the Flash, and Zatanna."

Raven nearly let out a furious growl when she heard that name. She had gone to the League for help once…then Zatanna exposed her as a half-demon, and she was forced to fee the more zealous members. "And why did they do this?"

"The man—Doctor Light I think—raped one of the members." Blitzkrieg shook his head. "Sure, that was horrible…but the League are supposed to be the good guys! They're supposed to be better than the ones they fight, not the same as them!" He screamed, lifting his head towards the ceiling, and then letting it fall.

"We're heroes…we're supposed to be better…"

Raven couldn't find the will to say anything as Blitzkrieg began to sob. She only rested what she hoped was a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Underground. Slade Wilson.

Slade snarled as he stared at one of the large screens that occupied his lair. "Reject my offer, will you? Then I'll give you no choice but to accept it. See you soon, son of mine."

Slade pressed a button on his gauntlet. The screen displayed a few words in bright orange.

Legacy: Activated.

AN: I warned you. You should have listened. I told you that things would be different. That I was building up to something. I even showed you all of these little hints in order to clue you into my little plan. But you didn't see them. Or you didn't WANT to see them. You must have wanted to remain ignorant in order to not have seen the forest for the trees! And now, the beginning ends. And now, it is coming. HE is coming.

And if you deny the savior in front of your eyes…then the rewards, along with your shock and feels, are mine for the taking…

*AHM* Apologies. Wanted to indulge in an evil monologue. Anyway, next chapter Mad Mod appears, and the Legacy is revealed.